Detection of a cyclotron line in SXP 15.3 during its 2017 outburst

ABSTRACT We report the results of AstroSat and NuSTAR observations of the Be/X-ray binary pulsar SXP 15.3 in the Small Magellanic Cloud during its outburst in late 2017, when the source reached a luminosity level of ∼1038 erg s−1, close to the Eddington limit. The unprecedented broad-band coverage o...

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Published inMonthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Letters Vol. 480; no. 1; pp. L136 - L140
Main Authors Maitra, C, Paul, B, Haberl, F, Vasilopoulos, G
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published 11.10.2018
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Summary:ABSTRACT We report the results of AstroSat and NuSTAR observations of the Be/X-ray binary pulsar SXP 15.3 in the Small Magellanic Cloud during its outburst in late 2017, when the source reached a luminosity level of ∼1038 erg s−1, close to the Eddington limit. The unprecedented broad-band coverage of the source allowed us to perform timing and spectral analysis between 3 and 80 keV. The pulse profile exhibits a significant energy dependence, and morphs from a double-peaked profile to a single broad pulse at energies >15 keV. This can be explained by a spectral hardening during an intensity dip seen between the two peaks of the pulse profile. We detect a Cyclotron Resonance Scattering Feature at ∼5 keV in the X-ray spectrum, independent of the choice of the continuum model. This indicates a magnetic field strength of 6 × 1011 G for the neutron star.
ISSN:1745-3925
1745-3933
DOI:10.1093/mnrasl/sly141